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Big-Government Groups Line Up to Throw Money at Dave Joyce

Congressman Dave Joyce, a big-government Republican billing himself as a conservative for Ohio's May 6 primary, is receiving major support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Hospital Association (AHA).

Defending Main Street’s top donors this cycle are International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), which has given $250,000, and Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA), which has given $100,000.

Not coincidentally, IUOE and LiUNA are among the chief beneficiaries of the deficit spending Joyce and LaTourette proudly “reach across the aisle” for.

IUOE and United Transportation Union have each contributed $10,000 to Joyce. International Union of Painters & Allied Trades has given Joyce $8,100, and International Brotherhood of Teamsters has given Joyce $7,500.

It’s no accident that Joyce is backed by some of the nation’s most powerful advocates of bigger government, regardless of how his campaign spins his record.

Since he took office in 2013, Joyce’s votes have earned him ratings in the high 40s to mid 50s – among the lowest of any Republican in the nation — from FreedomWorks, Heritage Action, Club for Growth, and Americans for Prosperity.

The Plain Dealer editors explained that Joyce “recognizes the importance of bipartisanship and compromise – as did his predecessor, Steven LaTourette, who retired from political office in 2012 and is supporting Joyce in this contest."

Way back in 2012, the United States Supreme Court, in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, issued a landmark ruling that upheld the supposed constitutionality of ObamaCare by justifying the individual mandate as a proper exercise of Congress’s taxing power. This is what allowed ObamaCare to continue to be a drain on our economy and the American taxpayer.

FreedomWorks Vice President of Legislative Affairs made the statements below on the recent developments at the White House concerning health insurance. Concerning Thursday’s executive order about association health plans, Jason Pye said:

Last week, four Republican senators unveiled a proposal that could present a path forward on health insurance reform. The proposal, introduced in the form of an amendment to the House-passed version of H.R. 1628, is far from perfect, and it's not the repeal of ObamaCare that was promised. Nevertheless, FreedomWorks is treating it as what is likely to be the last serious attempt at health insurance reform before the September 30 deadline for reconciliation under the FY 2017 budget resolution.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced today that it planned to reduce the budget to promote health plans available on the ObamaCare exchanges from the roughly $100 million spent during the last open enrollment period to $10 million for the upcoming open enrollment period, which is set to begin on November 1 and end on December 15. There will also be a reduction in funding for Navigators, from $62.5 million last year to $36.8 million this year.

September may be the busiest month of 2017 for Congress. There is a long list of must-pass legislation on the agenda, including the debt limit and appropriations for at least part of FY 2018, when Congress reconvenes on Tuesday, September 5. The calendar, however, isn't kind. There are only 12 legislative days scheduled in the House and 17 in the Senate.